Measured Success

Since our early beginnings in 2011, Mercy Tech Mission has completed 6 trips to Africa and 7 trips to the Baja. On each trip our volunteer instructors have taught the basics of employable trades, such as automotive mechanics, concrete finishing, construction and woodworking, wiring and electrical installation, and welding. Now it's May 2016, and our 14th trip begins as I and volunteer Craig Skinner (welder and millwright) leave for Swaziland in Southern Africa. We’ll spend the month of May sharing our knowledge with the local workers at the Heart for Africa mission base, and we're looking forward to it.

The initial plan was to teach only mechanics and welding skills, but thanks to a donation of testing equipment from the folks at AC Motor Electric in Penticton, BC, we'll now include some training on basic electric motor diagnostic and repair. That’s a valuable skill when you consider all the electrical motors used in the Heart for Africa farming operation, not to mention the water systems for their orphan homes.

In just 5 years, Mercy Tech has established training locations in 3 countries, and seen over a dozen skilled instructors take part in training trips, some of them multiple times. On a “Success Scale” of 1 to 10, I’d call that an A++. Sound strange? That’s because these sorts of things can’t really be measured in the traditional way.

Mercy Tech is making a difference, one life, one skill set at a time. We've seen it, and that's why we keep going back.A person could ask, “Show me on a graph how much good will come from me volunteering or making a donation.” I'm not sure if I can always do that, but I do know what will happen if we don't go and don't give - nothing.

As gifted communicator Andy Stanley likes to say, “You never know what hangs in the balance." We don't, and the bottom line is, we don't want to miss an opportunity to be a change-maker in someone's life.

Thanks for following along as we once again leave home and family to do what we do. If you haven't done so already, join with us in the way that suits you best. Together, we will continue changing lives, one skill at a time.